Apparatus for agricultural spraying



Feb. 17, 1942. A. R. BLACK mL 2,273,344

APPARATUS FOR AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING Filed May 22, 1939 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 1,7, 1942. A. R. BLACK ET AL 2,273,344

APPARATUS FOR AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING Filed May 22, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LlQum Am Am CLEANER .Anz PUMPL m1 75 Y J L Llauw tpAmo 16| 12M-@A 5A L 5@ i "yo M l 'ZA' v 4l "7 j @@nr (T A0 A f 1 AUXLAEY TANK 55 L T 5A Anz Plzsulz REULATOR 'frzAmEz L 2@ coNTANT LEVEL TANK 'Ls 1 D z v n 5 Pzeum-z eLF VALVE Patented Feb.'17, 1942 t APPARATUS FOR AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING Alexander Robson Black, Norwood, and Everett l y f .252-73344 .oFFlfC-E--J Burr Glendenning, Cranford, N. J., assignors to Shell Development Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware t Application May zg, 1939, serial No. 275,052

2 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to means for applying liquid insecticidal or fungicidal preparations to plants, trees, vegetation and the like. I

More particularly,'the invention relates to portable power driven apparatus adapted to apply eiective amounts of either of said materials simultaneously to a plurality of in a tract or area;

It is an object of the invention to provide vequipment for applying adequate amounts of pest or fungus destructive materials to pest infected or diseased growth in a minimum of time, with plants or trees a minimum of labor, without waste of materials,

and without injury to the growth.

Another object of the invention is to provide of terrain, such as hillsides or uneven ground,

and susceptible te further adjustment for vegetation of v arying heights. It should further be capable of distributing various amounts of spray material per unit oi.' area oi' crop to be treated,v

depending upon the condition and 'type of vegetation and the particular spray being applied. For examp1e,'a particular crop may require treatment with three gallons of a certain insecticide per acre and another dissimilar growth. requiring another type or grade oi insecticide, may require ten or more gallons of treating material per acre. tions should, therefore, be capable .of simple and rapid adjustment to compensate for such variable dEmands as may be placed upon it.

'I'he present apparatus falls in the class oi' force-type sprayers. i. e. the spray material is forced under pressure through atomizing means. The unit is self-contained and portable and may be carried on a truck, tractor, trailer, semi-trailer, skids, etc. Basically, the unit comprises an oil I pump, an air pump, a supply tank` and means for directing the spraym'aterial trom the supply tank to an adjustable boom -v containing a plu-f rality oi'atomizing nozzles.

Referring to the drawings which'` illustrate by The apparatus used for such applica- Figure IV is a front elevation of the atomizing nozzle mounting.

Figure V is a sectional elevation of one type of oil separator which may be embodied in the spraying unit.

In Figure I, a supply tank I, driving motor 2, liquid pump 3 and air pump 4 .are mounted on a motor truck bed 5 'only part of which is shown. A liquid line 6 connects the supply tank I with a constant level chamber 1, passing through valve 8, cleaner` 3, liquid pump 3 and a pressure relief valve III. 'Ihe constant level chamber 1 is provided withan -air pressure gauge' 64 and bleeder orifice 65.' A liquid line 33, also leads from pressure relief valve I0 to supply tank I. A liquid line II leads from the bottom of the constant level chamber 'I througha filter I2, a three-way valve I3, aL flexible hose line I4 into the liquid line I6 of the center section I6 of the distributing boom. Flexible hoses I'I and Ila lead from the center section I6 of the distributing boom to the liquid lines I8 and I8a of the side arms I 6a and 16h. Flexible ,hoses I9, i911, Iilb, Isc, ISd

leadirom the liquid line of the distributing boom to the atomizing nozzles 20, 20a, 20h, 20c, 20d. A liquid line 2l may, if desired, be incorporated returning from the constant level chamber 1a through valve 22 to the supply tank I.

An auxiliary tank 23 .is provided `with a liquid line 24 leading' from three-way valve I3. Another liquid line 26 leads from the auxiliary tank 23 through check valve 26 and returns to supply tank I.

The intake side of the air pump 4 is connected to air-cleaner 21 and three-way valve 2,8 by line 28. Another air line 30 leads from three-way valve 28 through liquid separator 3| and is connected to the top oi! auxiliary tank 23. The ltwo three-way valves I3 and 28 are connected by chain 32 or other common control means so that they may be operated simultaneously. 1

Air under pressure from the discharge side of the air pump 4 passes through line 34 to ilexible v hoses 38, 38a, 38h, 38e, 38d. An air line 48 leads i'rom air line 34 through an air pressureregula- I tor 4I to the top of constant level chamber 1.

wayof example a particular form o! the 1nven* tion:

Figure I is a perspective view of the complete spraying unit. 1

Figure II is a schematic Adrawing showing the piping arrangement of the spraying unit.-

Figure III is a side nozzle mounting.

elevation 0i the atomizing The supporting members 42, 42a and 43 for the distributing boom are rigidly and securely mounted on the 'truck bed 6. Members 44 and 44a are slidably mounted on members 42 and 42a and are connected by crossfniemberIS. lA hand operated winch 46 is'mounted on` 43 and, anexiblesteel cable 41 wound on the winch 46 is attached at one end to cross-member 46 at 48.

A'Zlhe distributing boom side-arms I6a and |66 are pivotably attached at 43, 43a, 49h and 43e tothe center section I6 ofthe boom. Flexible cables" 53, attached at and Sla to the side arms i3d and I6b,'lead to hand operated Winches l2 and 52a mounted on members 44 and 44a.

In Figure II, wherein like parts are given the l same numerals as in Figure I, 3 is a liquid pump delivering spray material from a supply tank I,

vpreferably equipped with a oating 'suction 53 distributing boom. Air is also by-passed through air line 40 and air pressure regulator valve 4I to the top of the constant level chamber 1, which and IIb raised or lowered by means of Winches 52 andina depending upon the terrain or type of crop being sprayed. When not in operation,

these side arms will normally be maintained insirable and practicable.

is'provided with an air pressure gauge 64 and Ableeder orifice the constant level chamberis equipped with-a float valve 54 which maintains a.p redetermined level of spray material in the f. chamber.

In liquid line 3 is provided a pressure-relief type regulating valve I0 which is set to maintain 'an -oil pressure insufcient to open iioat-valve 54 turn connected by check-valve 28'and line 25 to supply tank I. Three way valve 23 is also connected to auxiliary tank 23 by means of air line 30 which has attached thereto a self-draining oil separator 3|.

Constant level chamber 1 may be further equipped with a circulation and by-pass line comprising valve 22 and line 2I which serves to conduct liquid from the bottom of constant level chamber 1 to line 25 and thence back to supply tank I.

Figure III illustrates a side elevation of the atomizer nozzle mountings whereby various adjustments of the spraying angles may be made. The tubular member 51 of the distributing boom is provided with a 'clamping arrangement 59 which supports a tubular section 33 leading from flexible air hose 33 toatomizing nozzle 23. Clamp 53 is held in position on tubular member 51 by means of clamping screw 30. 'Ihe tubular section |53 is held in position in clamp member 59 by means of set screw 3l. A swing joint 32 serves to connect tubular member 33 to atomizer nozzle 23. The flexible liquid hose I3 is attached to the body of atomizing nozzle 23 at 33.

The swing Joint 32 permits rotational adjustment in a vertical plane of nozzle 23. By loosening set screw 8 I, rotational adjustment in a horizontal plane will be permitted as will vertical adiustment of the nozzle and connections as a.

` unit. By loosening clamp screw 3l, further nozzle adjustment in a vertical plane may be secured. The operation' of the spraying machine is as follows:

The atomizing nozzles (as shown in Figures-III and IV) are adjusted to the most advantageous position according to the vegetation tobe sprayed. vThe distributing boom (as shown in Figure I) is then or lowered by means of winch 43 and cable V4l to'the 'desired height and side arms Ia I0 and line 33 .to supply tank I.

If desired to spray large trees a distributor boom of diiferentdesign from that shown herein must he used as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

After the 'distributing boom and atomizing nozzles have been set in the desired positions, the air and liquid pumps are started, valves 35 and 22, (as shown in'Flgure II) being closed. In this way, spray material willbe pumped from the supply tank I to the iioat-valve controlled constant level chamber 1.

Since, as previously stated,v the pressure relief valve Iii is set at a pressure insuilicient to open float valve 54, liquid will be pumped to chamber 1 until the desired liquid level has been reached and then by-passed through pressure relief valve ment serves a double purpose, to maintain the desired liquid level in the constant level chamber without adjusting the pumping rate and to agitate the material in the supply tankby continuous recirculation. To provide further agitation when the tendency for various componentsv of a spraying liquid to separate is particularly pronounced, a line 2l may beused to retlu'n liquid from the constant level chamber .to the supply tank. By operation of valve 22, a portion of the spray liquid in the constant level chamber may be recirculated to the supply tank.

Theairpressure regulating valve 4I is then adjusted until the desired pressure is present above the liquid in the constant level chamber.

Valve 65 is then opened, three-way valve I3 having been previously turned to permit ilow from the constant level chamber 1 through line' Il to the hose I4 and thus to the distributing boom. Three-way valve I3 is arranged to operate simultaneously withthree-way valve 28, so that when valve I3 is turned. as described above, valve 23 will permit air to pass through air cleaner 21 and line 23 to the intake side of the air pump 4. The opening of valve Il will then permit spray material to ilow to the distributing boom for atomizing purposes.

The present invention also provides an arrangement for instantaneously shutting of! temporarily the iiow of spray material to the atomv izing nozzles and at the same time preventing drippage from the nozzles. Referring again to Figure II, and assuming that the machine is in normal operation and the end of a crop row is reached, or for some other reason it is desired to shut of! the atomized spray, the three-way valve I3 is turned to open a passage from the distributing boom through lines II and 24 to an auxiliary tank 23. Since three-way valve I3 is adapted to operate simultaneously with` three-way valve 23, this last turn and permit passage of air from auxiliary :sushi 23 throiglhlinesutand 23 to the intake side r pump us crea ing a partial vacuum in auxiliary tank 23. l

As a result, the flow vstant level chamber y1 will be stopped and the in the distributing of liquid'from the eento the distributing boom liquid material r boom and the lines leading This arrange.

mentioned valve willsimultaneously thereto will be drawn into auxiliary tank 23 which has a capacity sufiicient to hold the same.

The check valve 2li will close line 25 as long as' there is a reduced pressure in the auxiliary tank 28.

When the simultaneously operating three-way valves I3 and 28 are again turned to their normal operating position, the drain-hole of self-draining oil separator 3| will act as a release valve and admit atmospheric air to the auxiliary tank 23, whereupon check-valve 26 will open and permith the contents of the tank to drain through line 25 back to supply tank I. A suitable type o! oil separator 3|` is shown in Figure V. The closed body member 3| is provided with a series of baiile plates 64 extending from the top and bottom of the chamber 3l. Perforations, as at 10, are provided at the base of the upwardly extending baille plates to permit entrapped oil to drain into the discharge outlet 66. A ilap valve 461 seats against theA opening of discharge outlet 86.' A small perforation is provided in ap valve 81 at 69. A stop member 68 limits the maximum ply tank comprising an auxiliary tank, a liquid line from said tank to said supply tank, a check valve in said line wherebyl liquid may ilow from said auxiliary tank to said supply tank and whereby reverse ilow through said line is prevented, a three-way valve in the liquid line between said constant level chamber and said atomization means, a liquid llnebetween said three-way valve and said auxiliary tank, an air line between said auxiliary tank and the intake side of said air pump, a three-way valve in said last named line, an air line from said last named three-way valve to a source of air intake, said three-way valves being adapted to operate simultaneouslyvwhereby in one position liquid will flow from said constant level chamber to said degree of opening of ilap valve 61, which is hinged at 1|. of course, be packed with steel wool or similar material if desired. Funnel member 65 including a drain hole is rigidly attached to chamber 1i as shown. Perforation 69 serves as a slight air leak which will break the vacuum in auxil- The space between baille plates 64 may,.

iary tank 23 and line 3l) when three-way valves I1 and 2.8 are turned to their normal operating position as described above.

' The present inventionpossesses numerous advantages over the known equipment in this iield. For example, the large-scale spraying machines in use at present all utilize comparatively high air and oil pressures in their operation, usually from 25 to 130 pounds per square inch and even greater. 'Ihe above described machine is designed to operate satisfactorily at pressures of the order of 6 to 12 pounds per square inch. vAs a result the present equipment is both less ex-,

pensive to manufacture and safer to operate.

The simplicity in operation and control of the described equipment is particularly advantageous.

Various types of liquid sprays, whether oi' the emulsifed type,nonemulsifled type and whether containing dissolved soluble toxics or insoluble dispersed toxics, may be used with little .or no r adjustment of the apparatus. The system provided for agitation is efficient, self-operating and requires a minimum of attention, yet is simple and inexpensive.

The quantity of material to be sprayed over a given area of ground may be easily controlled overa wide range. For example, in a field test, quantities of spray ranging from 3 gallons to l0 gallons per acre were distributed by merely Achanging the air pressure over the liquid in the constant level chamber. During the test -the pumping rate, overall air pressure on the system and other variables were held constant. By modifying other-operating conditions as desired,'an

'even greater metering range will be obtainable.

liquid from. said atomlzationvmeans to said sup-v porting liquid from said supply tank through said liquid pump to said constant level chamber whereby there is sufilcient ilowlto said constant level chamber to maintain the desired liquid levell in said chamber and the remainder of said liquid pump discharge is recirculated to said supply tank, a line for transporting liquid from said constant level chamber to atomization means, a three-way valve located in said last named line, anl auxiliary tank having a liquid line to said three-way valve and a second liquid line including a check valve and returning to the aforesaid supply tank, an airline between the discharge ide of the air pump and said atomization means. means incorporated in said last named line for maintaining an air pressure on the surface o! the liquid in the constant level chamber, said last named means comprising an air line cornmunicating between said constant level chamber and said air line between said discharge side of the air pump and said atomization means, means ior regulating said air pressure in said constant level chamber and thereby controlling the rate of liquid flow from said constant level chamber to said atomization means, said regulating means comprising an air pressure regulator valve disposed in said air line communicating between said constant level chamber and said air line between the discharge side of said airI pump and said atomization means, an air line between the intake side of said air pump and a source oi' air intake, a second three-way valve incorporated in said last named connection, an air' line between said second mentioned three-way valve and said auxiliary tank, both said three-way valves being adapted-to operate simultaneously whereby communication throughthe liquid lines from said constant level chamber to said atomization means may be reversed to permit ow from said atomization meansA to said auxiliary tank and whereby communication through 'said air lines y 

